Seed certification is a system that provides assurance to
buyers that the seeds being purchased are what they are represented
to be by the producer or seller. This certification of
identity (and sometimes quality) is typically provided by an
independent third party for a fee that is charged to the producer
and becomes part of the production costs. The system
is simple and effective; it is used all over the world in various,
yet basically similar, forms for agricultural, horticultural,
and forestry seeds or other propagules. This chapter will
briefly describe how seed certification developed in forestry
and how it is practiced today with seeds of woody plants.
More detailed historical accounts of agricultural and forest
tree seed certification in the United States can be found in
Hackleman and Scott (1990) and Rudolf (1974).